Rudiak passes bill to expand city budget data online

Following the passage of the Pittsburgh Open Data Ordinance last month, Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak is expanding the online city budget and spending data, in an easy-to-understand format.

City Council unanimously passed Ms. Rudiak’s bill, which authorizes the directors of the Department of Innovation and Performance and the Department of Finance to put out a request and contract for an “Open Government Financial System.” The cost is not to exceed $20,000 for a one-year contract.

The ideal Open Government Financial System would publish the data in a visual way that enables the user to see overall spending and revenues, as well as monthly spending by department, trends, and year-to-year comparisons. The goal is to empower the city’s taxpayers to better understand where their money is going, and to make the information more accessible to city employees.

“It’s council’s job to make sure that the city is budgeting and spending responsibly. Shining light on the details is one way to hold ourselves and our departments accountable to the taxpayer,” Ms. Rudiak said.

Councilwoman Rudiak is the chair of council’s Committee on Finance and Law.